It’s miraculous that this reunion concert happened, and that we now
have DVD evidence of it. The Velvet Underground, as a working unit, was
just as dysfunctional as the desperate characters in their oftentimes
shocking songs. This show was captured in France because the band broke
up – again – before that tour even made it to the States. It had been
scheduled to open a few dates for U2, which would have been an amazing
pairing, especially considering the influence Lou Reed’s music has had
upon Bono. But rather than focusing on “the dream that could have
been,” we should be thankful to have this fine audio/video document to
remember the band by.

REM guitarist Peter Buck has said that while Velvet Underground may not
have sold too many records back in its heyday, everybody who bought one
started their own band. A bit of an inside joke, perhaps, but with a
lot of truth to it. It’s nearly impossible to overestimate the act’s
influence on other musicians; so many over the years have spoken of
VU’s inspiration. In the late ‘60s, when music about peace, love and
flower power was all the rage, the Velvet Underground was recording
songs about death, sadomasochism and heroin addiction. Obviously, they
went to the offbeat of a different drum. It’s difficult to imagine
today’s alternative music without them. This band may not have sounded
punk the way, say, Iggy & the Stooges did during the pre-punk era,
but they certainly had the whole anti-social attitude down.

This concert includes a balanced selection of both familiar and
not-so-familiar VU songs. Naturally, “Sweet Jane,” “Rock ‘N” Roll” and
“Femme Fatale” are all included here. But the mostly instrumental “Hey,
Mr. Rain” and “Coyote” are also on the set list.

Based upon this DVD viewpoint, the Velvet Underground is not an
exciting band to watch. All the members are relatively statuesque while
on stage. Guitarist Sterling Morrison mostly looks bored throughout.
Lou Reed looks like a college professor in his glasses. John Cale, with
his odd haircut, stands out the most. Drummer Moe Tucker, who drums
standing up much of the time and plays her bass drum sideways like a
kettledrum, also captures some attention. Nobody moves much, or makes
any faces. This is pure playing and little else.

Instrumentally, Cale is the most multifaceted member. This show opens
with him playing violin on the woozy, deviant sex number “Venus in
Furs.” He plays piano, and here takes over lead vocal duties during
“I’m Waiting for the Man,” which was originally sung by Reed. He
returns to the violin again for “Hey, Mr. Rain,” which is a mostly
instrumental, primarily avant-garde, quasi-classical workout. Its sound
mixes Eastern raga music with free jazz, which makes for something
truly unique.

Although all four musicians represented here are original Velvet
Underground members, the band is still missing one person: Nico. Nico
died of a drug overdose – not surprisingly – long before this reunion
ever took place. She is most missed during songs she originally sang
lead on, like “I’ll Be Your Mirror” and especially “Femme Fatale,”
because she was the original femme fatale.

Lou Reed sings lead more than anybody else, but then he wrote the
lyrics to almost all VU songs. He also takes the lion’s share of the
guitar solos. Morrison, however, plays the distinctively simple lead
lines on “Rock ‘N’ Roll.” Reed, like other rock icons Neil Young and
Bob Dylan, is not a great natural singer. But like those two, Reed’s
unusual voice – consistently flat – can still be oddly pleasant in
spite of itself. Its drollness might be why he could/can get away with
singing about such taboo subjects as smack addiction on “Heroin,” or
giving the foreplay-by-play of “Venus in Furs.”

Although the Velvet Underground are most famous for their evil
adventurousness, it could also be quite beautiful. Their ballads, like
“Femme Fatale,” “I’ll Be Your Mirror” and “Pale Blue Eyes,” combine
sweet melodies with mostly dark lyrics. While there’s an unsettling
weirdness about songs like “Venus in Furs,” as well as an out of
control momentum driving “White Light/White Heat,” this band could also
play straight rock exceedingly well. “Sweet Jane,” with its empathetic
lyrical narrative, has one of the greatest hummable melodies in all of
rock music history, and “Rock ‘N’ Roll” is one of the rare songs that
speaks about a specific musical style, yet doesn’t totally suck.

Disappointingly, there aren’t band interviews included here. It would
have been enjoyable to hear band members talk about what led up to this
unlikely reunion. This is especially sad because Sterling Morrison
succumbed to cancer shortly after this concert was filmed. One wonders
why this project's producers didn’t also throw in, say, some old
original performances of the band, for contrast’s sake if nothing else.
A documentary about the making of this DVD would have also been nice as
well. About the only bonus here, if you can even call it that, is the
addition of a song called “Coyote,” which can only be accessed by
selecting songs individually.

Another disappointment is this DVD’s short 85-minute length. This is a
visual document of a 22-track CD, which was originally released back in
1993. There were many great Velvet songs left off of this DVD, such as
“All Tomorrow’s Parties,” “The Black Angel Death Song” and “We’re Gonna
Have a Real Good Time Together,” which appeared on the original
two-disc CD edition. Why couldn’t they have included all of them?

Nevertheless, it’s still a gift to have this visual document of the
Velvet Underground’s last stand. Such a video product is especially
appreciated because this is a band that came along well before the
advent of rock videos or even the VHS revolution. Unlike a lot of other
‘60s/’70s musical heroes, the Velvet Underground rarely participated in
the rock festival circuit at the time. So while a lot of these groups
can be re-experienced at the Monterey Pop Festival or Woodstock, for
instance, Velvet Underground just didn’t run in those circles.

The sound here is just fine. This is relatively straight rock and roll,
with few other colorings. There is clarity and purity to the sound
recording of this DVD.

Velvet Redux: Live MCMXCIII is essential for fans of the band and
highly recommended to anyone who wants a complete history of rock
music. Artists who celebrate what’s good about life are far too many to
mention, but those who explore the stinky and sticky stuff underneath
it all are few and far between. The Velvet Underground wandered around
in this moral darkness, so you don’t have to. Like Darth Vader in “Star
Wars,” the Velvet Underground is the musical leader of the dark side.